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Discordant clinical presentation and outcome in infant twins sharing a common clonal leukaemia
Author(s) -
Campbell Myriam,
Cabrera Maria Elena,
Legues Maria Eugenia,
Ridge Susan,
Greaves Mel
Publication year - 1996
Publication title -
british journal of haematology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.907
H-Index - 186
eISSN - 1365-2141
pISSN - 0007-1048
DOI - 10.1046/j.1365-2141.1996.455999.x
Subject(s) - in utero , presentation (obstetrics) , disease , medicine , pediatrics , identical twins , childhood leukaemia , immunology , pregnancy , biology , fetus , genetics , obstetrics
We report the different presentation features and clinical outcome between two identical infant twins with acute lymphoblastic leukaemia with a shared clonal disease and MLL gene rearrangement. One twin relapsed and died, but the other is in complete remission >4 years after diagnosis. These data, and similar observations on other twin infants with leukaemia, suggest that despite a common clonal in utero , post‐natally these leukaemias can evolve independently, at different rates, in the twinned individuals, and that the usually fatal leukaemia associated with t(4;11) MLL gene rearrangement can be effectively treated when the leukaemic burden is small.